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p tolesseh. the cost and increase the specific UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL, s. PnnnIMnN AND-JOHN scnnannn, OF DOVER, NEW JERSEY,

assrcnons. TO THE ATLANTIC DYNAMITE GOMPAN-Y, lrnn nnrann'o CHEMICAL COMPANY, AND THE HERCULES rown nn COMPANY;

DYNAMITE.

BPECIFICATIOK forming part oi' Letters Patent No. 333,149, dated Decembe'zq '29,. 1685,

Application filed Jan'uery 22, 1885.

' To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, RUssELL ,S. Penm- MAN and JonnO. Sonnsnna, both of Dover, iuthe county of Morris and; State of New J ersay, have invented certain new and useful Imrovem'ents in Explosive Compounds; and we 0 hereby declare that the following specification is a clear, true, and complete descri'pk tlon of our invention. I ro- Theobject of our present improvement is gravity-of nitro-glycerine compounds known as ordinary dynamites, and containing 7 .finely-comminuted solid'matters, by which the nltro'glyeerine is controlled, the whole being a'practically, adhesive or plastic mass. It is well known that in all'compoundsof this class the nltro-glycerlne is the most expensive element, audit is equally well known that much 2o attention has heretofore been given to the production of more or less serviceable compounds containing said liquid explosive in such reduced proportions as would indicate apparent economy in theiriuse.

I In accordance with our invention, we can employ any one of these prior compounds containiug solid combustible matter, or mixtures of any two or more of them, or we can emloy the well-known mixtures of nitroglyceris relied. upon merely as a vehicle for-properly controlling thellquid-explosive or holdinc illinsuspeiision; and for the purpcseof illustrating the general value of our improvement we will first describe it in connection with said earthy compounds, nlthou, l f or obtaining the best results the solid matter should be composed of combustible materials. Of a seventyfive percent. compound of ultra-glycerinc and earthy matter, we take, say, forty parts, and mix these with sixty parts of protcoted nitrate of ammonia, and produce a compound of greater specific gravity and of much greater ell'ective" force than said seventy-five per cent. earth compound and at about twelve and one-half per cent. less cost. We do not, however, deem it desirable to employ noncombustible solid matter, because the best re;

sults involve the use of such well-known com me and infusorial earth, in which the earth cent. of

Serial No. 153,609. No sgpclmenBJ bustible matters as have beenheretofore em- 5o ployed in the manufacture of dope used in nitro-g'lycerine-compounds-as, for instance, coal of various kinds, niter, nitrate of soda, and sulphur, whether such materialshave been ground together and theu'mixed in mass 5 with the nitZo-glycerine, or first formed into small or fine omposite grainsmnd then mixed with the liquid explosive, it being understood I that our present invention contemplates the" i use of any of the ordinary types of dynamite,, 6o-;;

, plosive.

In producing our compounds wevary the proportion of such dynamites ter of the service intended to be performed, it being understood that-in all cases there must be sulficienli'gitrwglycerineito insure detona-- Lion throughout the mass, and for accompIish--- ing this end our compounds should seldom, H 8 ever, contain less than eighteen or .twentyper.

the liquid explosive-as, for instance, in using a twenty-fivetper centJdynamitecom raining either or all 0 the solid combustible matter enumerated, we add to seventy parts of such dynamite thirty parts'of the protected nitrate of ammonia for producing a desirable compound of comparatively low. grade," but superior in effective force to any ordinary dynamite containing as muchas forty per cent.

' of the liquid explosive. Th compound will be found to have a much grea r specific gravity than any forty per cent. dynamite, and it p can be produced at about eight-tenths of the cost thereof.

For producing a highly efi'ective and economical compound, wecombine with fifty parts of seventy-five per cent. dynamite fifty parts tothe protected nitrate of ammoniaaccordingto the charac 7 3 of the protected nitrate. This compound will possess greater etl'eet-ix'e force than the seventy-five per cent. dynamite, and will haye greater specific gravity, and it can be produced at about one-seventh less cost. The nitrate of ammonia must be thoroughly dehydrated in granular form, and each grain jacketed with an envelope or coating of soft or viscous carbonaceous matter for which itroglycerine has no a tliuity, and \re-preter Fe use what .wewill term. .Penni maus Protected Nitrate of Ammonia, which for the purposes of this specification may be described as grains of said nitrate coated with petroleum or its softeducts or products, preferably cosmoline. It" said particular protected nitrate be not;

readily available, it can be prepared in its best form'by thoroughly mixing with a givenquantity of carcfully-dehydrated granulated nit-rate of ammonia from eight to twelve per cent. of eosnioline. We are aware that it has been heretofore proposed to employ nitrate of ammonia in nitro-glycerine com pounds-as, for instance, as set forth in the English Letters Patent of Nohel, No. 1,570 of A, D. 1873, wherein it is also. suggested that by grinding para-dine with the nitrate of ammonia and charcoal the nitrate will be protected from deliquescence, and it is to be distinctly understood that anycompounds in which such solid protecting agents are employed as the nitrate of ammonia are wholly outside of our present invention.

We are also aware that the English provis ional specification Ne 2,420 of 1876, suggests in a general way the use of nitrate of ammonia in explosive compounds, and the protection of the nitrate by the use of melted parafrequire to be grolifidwiih fine or stearine or other similar solid bodies, all of which we wholly disclaim. because we are well aware that unless the grains of nitrate. of ammonia have a soft or viscous coating its use in any explosive compound cannot be re lied upon for producing practically desirable results. i

It is to be understood that our present application. does not relate to nitro-glyoerme compounds embodying so'lld matters which bustibte grains, and which may he termed grained dynamites, as distinguished from the, ordinary dynamites, which, are wet and plastic because of the linely-comminnted con dition of the solid matter'by which the flowing propensities of the nitrolycerine are now trolled. It is also to be an erst-ood that our present application does not relate to compounds of gelatinized nitro-glyccrine and nitrate of ammonia, in which the latter is not specially protected, asdescribed in the Eugli'sh Letters Patent of Nobel, No. 4,179 of 1875.

Having thusdescribed our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- An explosive compound, substantially as hereinbefore deseribed,containing fincIy'comminuted solid matter charged with nitro-glyoerine and grains of nitrate of ammonia, which are inclosed within a soft orviscous envelope or coating for which nitro-glyceriee has no' aff nity, as set forth.

RUSSELL s. PENNIMAN. JOHN o. SOHRADER.

Witnesses:

WM. 8. WHITE,

J AS. H. NEIGHBOUR.'

are in the form of absorbent composite com- 50 

